Russian Jets Intercept U.S. Drones Over Syria

On three different occasions, Russian fighter jets shadowed U.S. predator drones over Syria. U.S. Navy Captain Jeff Davis also said that the U.S. has had to divert aircraft as not to interfere with Russian jets.

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He went on to say that the U.S. is working hard to maintain a safe distance between Russian missions and their own. While the Russian jets did not interfere with the drones’ flight, they intentionally got close enough to make their presence felt.

Two instances happened over ISIS controlled territory around Raqqa, while the other happened near Aleppo. It seems as though the Russians are creating a protective perimeter around Latakia, the stronghold of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Additionally, Turkey has claimed that Russia has violated their airspace twice.

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From Fox News:

Russian fighter jets shadowed U.S. predator drones on at least three separate occasions high above Syria since the start of Russia’s air campaign last week, according to two U.S. officials briefed on this latest intelligence from the region.

Meanwhile, U.S. Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters a U.S. aircraft flying over Syria had to be rerouted to avoid a Russian fighter jet at least once.

“We have taken action to maintain safe separation,” Davis said, adding that the U.S. aircraft “changed path a little bit.” He did not disclose which type of U.S. aircraft was involved.